LG Chem CEO says mulls electric car battery plant in China

The LG company logo is seen following an event during the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES ) in Las Vegas, Nevada on Jan 6, 2014. -- FILE PHOTO: REUTERS

SEOUL (REUTERS) - Chief executive of LG Chem said that the South Korean company was considering building an electric vehicle battery plant in China, expecting Beijing's efforts to tackle air pollution to drive demand.

Mr Park Jin Soo also said LG Chem, which currently supplies electric-car batteries for General Motors Co's Volt and Renault cars, will double the number of its customers to 20 in the near future.

"We are considering it (the China car battery plant), which should be in line with market demand," Mr Park said at a press briefing on Friday embargoed until Sunday morning.

LG Chem currently has a factory in Nanjing, China producing small batteries for smartphones and other mobile devices, and Park said the firm is looking at not only Nanjing and other sites for the potential car battery factory.